ABB has secured two orders from China’s Southwest Aluminum to supply integrated automation and digital technologies for two six-high aluminium cold rolling mills, supporting the manufacturer’s wide-strip production expansion and upgrade. The projects involve a 2,500 mm two-stand mill and a 3,000 mm single-stand mill, with both lines expected to be fully commissioned and operational by the end of 2027. Chongqing-based Southwest Aluminum is a subsidiary of the Aluminum Corporation of China (Chinalco). The orders build on the longstanding cooperation between ABB and the aluminium producer, with the latest projects focusing on process stability, control precision and production performance. Explore insights and forecasts for the aluminium flat rolled products (FRP) market from our...
India-based PG Foils Limited plans to establish a downstream aluminium manufacturing facility in Bahrain, focusing on electric vehicle (EV) battery foil and pharmaceutical foil production. The proposed investment is expected to expand the kingdom’s aluminium downstream capabilities and strengthen its manufacturing base. Bahrain’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce signed a letter of intent with PG Foils for the project. The agreement was signed by Industry and Commerce Minister Abdullah bin Adel Fakhro and PG Foils Joint Managing Director Sahil Shah during the fourth edition of the Gateway Gulf expo, which opened on November 1 in Manama. Explore: The most comprehensive and forward-looking industry-focused report – Aluminum Foil Market Report Forecast Till 2035 Hosted by the Bahrain...
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Constellium N.V.has announced recently appointed Constellium Executive Director, Jean-Marc Germain will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer effective July 11, 2016. Jean-Marc will succeed Pierre Vareille, who announced his retirement earlier this year. Pierre will work closely with Jean-Marc to ensure a seamless transition and will serve as an advisor to the Board. “Jean-Marc brings a wealth of experience and deep industry expertise to Constellium,” said Richard (Dick) Evans, Chairman of Constellium. “We are confident Jean-Marc will successfully build on Constellium’s solid foundation and lead the Company through its next stage of profitable growth. The Board is extremely grateful to Pierre for his invaluable service and guidance while serving as CEO. Pierre was instrumental to the...
The Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC), has joined Manufacturers for Trade Enforcement, a coalition of leading U.S. industry trade groups opposed to the automatic granting of market economy status for China at the end of 2016. AEC joins The Aluminum Association, American Iron & Steel Institute, Metals Service Center Institute, Forging Industry Association, and more than a 15 other groups, together directly employing more than 1 million American workers in their collective industries. China has claimed that it should be automatically accorded treatment as if it were a market economy after the 15th anniversary of its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in December 2016. U.S. law requires that the Department of Commerce make a market economy status (MES) determination based on...
Nanshan Aluminum Co. has made progress in automotive aluminium plate production and will also focus on aircraft-use medium-thick plate. The company’s annual capacity for automotive aluminium plate and high-end aircraft-use aluminium semis is 150,000 tonnes and 50,000 tonnes, respectively. It has begun supplying automotive aluminium plate to domestic customers in small batches and supplying customers in North America on a trial basis.
Lightweight metals leader Alcoa has opened its state-of-the-art, 3D printing metal powder production facility. Located at the Alcoa Technology Center, the world’s largest light metals research centre, the Company will produce proprietary titanium, nickel and aluminium powders optimized for 3D printed aerospace parts. Alcoa also has invested in a range of technologies to further develop additive processes, product design and qualification. “Alcoa is forging a leadership path in additive manufacturing with a sharp focus on the critical input material—metal powders,” said Alcoa Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Klaus Kleinfeld. “We are combining our expertise in metallurgy, manufacturing, design and product qualification to push beyond the possibilities of today’s 3D printing technologies...
Brady plc, the leading supplier of trading and risk management solutions for commodities, energy and recycling, announced today that Aleris has selected Brady’s Cloud-based solution to manage its global metal hedging and risk management, supporting the enterprise’s drive for growth. The Brady solution enables Aleris to consolidate its global metal hedging across its operations in the US, Europe and China. In addition, Aleris is able to centrally manage and analyse its risk exposure and report on the gains/losses of its operations regionally as well as globally. The solution enables month end reporting to be completed in close to real time, which is particularly critical in times of high price volatility. Aleris is a global leader in the manufacture and sale of aluminium rolled products,...
Constellium N.V. announced today that it intends to open a new manufacturing facility in Mexico to produce aluminium automotive structural components. This plant, located in San Luis Potosí, will allow Constellium to respond to increasing demand for lightweight, high-strength aluminium Crash Management Systems and automotive structures for the expanding auto industry in Mexico. The automotive industry expects that nearly five million vehicles will be produced annually in Mexico by 2019, making it one of the largest markets for automobile production. Constellium plans to invest approximately $10 million in the 5,000 sq m facility, which may be expanded to 13,000 sq m in the future to adapt to customers’ supply needs. The company expects to initially employ approximately 100 people in San...
China Zhongwang Holdings has put the first production line of its aluminium flat rolling project in Tianjin on trial production. The project, with designed annual capacity at 1.8 million tonnes, has two production lines and mainly produces aluminium alloy medium-thick plate used in aircrafts, rail cars, ships and commercial vehicles.
UC RUSAL, a leading Chinese aluminium alloy cable manufacturer, announce the signing of an agreement to establish the joint venture ‘JSC RUSAL-HEBEI JOY SENSE CABLE Special Aluminium Products Co. Ltd. Investments’. At this stage, the Partners will invest USD 1 mln dollars and will make further investment decisions on completion of the feasibility study. JSC RUSAL-HEBEI JOY SENSE CABLE Special Aluminium Products Co. Ltd. is established in the form of Sino-foreign equity joint venture with equal ownership stakes of 50 per cent between the Partners. The JV will be a production and sales company with the production located at HJSC’s facilities in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, 300km from Beijing. The existing facilities will be developed and modernized to meet the manufacturing requirements of...
Aluworks announced that they are close to sealing a US$25million strategic investment deal with Vendata Resources, one of the world’s largest natural resources companies with an interest in aluminium and other resources. “We are talking in a matter of weeks,” Ralph Rossouw, a Director of Vendata Resources told the B&FT on the sidelines of Aluworks’ AGM in Accra, in respect of how close they are to the deal. “We will resolve the debt issue with SSNIT and VALCO, and then more importantly do value added products. So we are looking at a foil line which is considered a higher value added product…we will then compete far more than the Chinese. We will replace the Chinese market in Ghana as well as in Nigeria. But that can only be done if we do bauxite mining and alumina refining,” Ralph Rossouw...
Aluminium makers all over the world, including the three in India, have remained under pressure, as the global economy is struggling to get back on its feet from a rough ride now lasting over two years, halting recovery in London Metal Exchange (LME) prices and crippling overcapacity for which the principal villain is China. Despite the downturn, Hindalco among other Indian primary producers has managed to stay ahead in comptetion, thanks to the significant strides it has made in converting the metal it smelts at its three smelters into value-added products. The fourth quarter of 2015-16 saw a 28 per cent rise in Hindalco's production of flat rolled products and extrusions. Success in the value-added business, which makes a significant contribution to Hindalco aluminium revenues is...
Researchers at Texas Tech University in Lubbock have developed a method for stabilizing aluminium fuel powder used in fireworks that increases their shelf life and, as a result, makes them safer to use. Aluminium powder is used as a fuel for both commercial-grade and professional-grade fireworks. Although it works well in that role, it also degrades quickly, sometimes becoming unstable and no longer fully combustible in as short as a few months. These duds don’t always become completely inert however, and still can (and sometimes do) detonate and injure individuals who return to investigate why the firework has not yet gone off. “The duds are usually the most dangerous fireworks,” said Michelle Pantoya, a professor and J.W. Wright Regents Chair in the department of mechanical engineering...
Carl F Groupco has extended its range of Siegenia hardware with the addition of the TITAN AF, a tilt and turn system newly introduced to the UK market. Key features include the AF concealed axxent 24+ variant, a completely new design, providing a completely jigless solution for the majority of profiles, with sash load bearing capabilities up to 150kg. The system can also be easily and economically upgraded to comply with PAS 24 for security. The expansion of Carl F Groupco’s Siegenia range reinforces the strong decade long partnership between the distributor and manufacturer. The ALU 4200 and axxent ranges have been extremely successful tilt and turn aluminium systems for Carl F Groupco and the company is confident that the new AF system will be equally as popular. Commenting, John...
Vedanta is a major producer of high grade aluminium and various other products such as billets and ingots, which are supplied to secondary fabrication units. Although Vedanta has been a significant billet manufacturer for a long time, the requirement spelt out by an auto component downstream customer - Vikas Altech was a huge challenge. Conventionally, the micro tubes in automotive radiators are manufactured from copper. Due to ever-changing needs of the customer segments, these tubes are now required to be made from special alloys in which aluminium is the base metal. The application called for a special alloy and that too with a specific post treatment process (homozanization cycle). It also called for specific changes in the casting process like the filtration mechanism, changing the...
Consolidated Precision Products Corp., a leading manufacturer of highly engineered components and subassemblies primarily for the commercial aerospace and defence markets, announced tyesterday hat it has completed its acquisition of two casting facilities from Pratt & Whitney Rzeszów S.A., a business unit of Pratt & Whitney Canada that is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The two casting facilities, located in Rzeszow, Poland, specialize in aerospace engine components, with enhanced technology for manufacturing and cost-efficient processes. CPP will continue to produce the current products and plans to further expand the customer and product portfolio in the coming years. James Stewart, CEO of CPP commented, "We are very excited...
The 4th Automotive Lightweight Supply-Chain Symposium will be kicked off on the 11th of July with a factory tour to Webasto Shanghai Ltd, one of the world’s biggest roof system suppliers. On return a reception party at the 5-Star Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel in Shanghai will provide a perfect setup for networking and interchanging. The lectures will begin in the morning of the 12th of July and continue on the 13th with 13 presentations in all, by national as well as international executives / experts from different kind of OEMs and Tiers. With multiple coffee / lunch breaks and a second reception party in the evening of the 12th of July, Networking and interchanging with the fellow attendees is at the forefront during the entire length of the symposium. When the symposium comes to an end, in...
GAIL India, the nation's biggest natural gas transporter, has begun supplying gas to the India unit of the world's largest automotive aluminium wheel producer Wanfeng Group. Gas supplies to Wanfeng Aluminium Wheels (India)'s plant at Rewari in Haryana commenced on June 27, company sources said. The Rewari plant is the first overseas manufacturing facility of the Chinese company. Wanfeng invest about USD 50 million in the plant which will have an annual production capacity of 3 million motorcycle wheels. The plant which became operational last year will also produce other auto wheels. The Chinese Group produces 12 million automotive wheels a year and 18 million motorcycle wheels. Sources said gas supplies to the plant Rewari plant of the company was provided as part of government's...
China’s aluminium semis exports rose in May, but the growth will be unsustainable in June, SMM predicts. Many Chinese aluminium semis exporters told SMM that they expect exports to drop slightly in June, citing poor overseas demand as the main reason. Besides, some traders will reduce exports against falling export profit, SMM pointed out. China’s aluminium semis exports were 370,000 tonnes in May, up from April’s 360,000 tonnes and up 2.9 per cent from a year ago, customs data showed. Exports of aluminium extrusions were down 5 per cent, those of aluminium plate/sheet and strip rose 9 per cent, those of aluminium foil increased 10 per cent, and those of aluminium tube/pipe grew 5 per cent, all on a month-on-month basis.
China Zhongwang Holdings, Asia’s top aluminium extrusion manufacturer, announced that two of its fully-owned subsidiaries will buy 99 sets of aluminium extrusion production equipment. The purchase will cost a total of 3.13 billion yuan ($470 million), and these two subsidiaries are Panjin Zhongwang Aluminum Industry Co. and Yingkou Zhongwang Aluminum Industry Co.
